Outerwear with retractably-tethered hand covering

ABSTRACT

An outerwear garment having sleeves, where at least one sleeve has a closeable pocket of a size to contain a hand covering. A retractable tether, such as a shock cord or bungee cord, is attached at one end to the hand covering and the other end to the closeable pocket. The retractable tether may be detachably attached to the hand covering, closeable pocket, or both, via a fastener such as snaps. The pocket may be closed via a zipper, snaps, or hook at loop fasteners.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/382,587, filed on Sep. 14, 2010, and entitled “Spring or Winter Jacket with Attached Gloves.”

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to the combination of outerwear, such as a jacket, with pocketed sleeves and a hand covering that is retractably-tethered to the pocket.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A common problem with known type long-sleeved garments is that, while such garments protect the upper torso and arms of the wearer, the hands are exposed to the elements. One inventor has attempted to address this problem for participants in sports and other outdoor activities. H. G. Outlaw, U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,468. The Outlaw patent permits individuals to warm their hands by placing them in small exterior pockets located just below the arm pits. This structure is arranged to allow individuals who need to have their hands uncovered by gloves or such to intermittently warm their hands. It is designed to maximize the use of body heat and afford protection from being caught by external objects.

It is common practice, particularly among women and children, whose hands are exposed to the cold to insert their ungloved hands into the opposite sleeves of long-sleeved garments. This practice also allows individuals who are not wearing gloves or such to intermittently warm their hands. External destruction is often not a concern. Insertion of the hands in opposite sleeves is comfortable and convenient, though the practice over time will result in excessive stretching of the sleeve cuffs.

The Outlaw patent does not accommodate this common practice of inserting ungloved hands into the opposite sleeve. Instead, it requires individuals to place their hands just below the armpits, an area of the body that it is often sweaty and odorous, particularly if the individual is engaged in an outdoor sport. Also, to fully insert both hands simultaneously into the pockets on each side of the individual's upper torso is often difficult and uncomfortable.

Furthermore, the Outlaw patent does not warm or protect an individual's hands when he or she is using them. When an individual is warming and protecting his or her hands, it is convenient to have the option of using his or her hands while still keeping them warm and protected. The Outlaw patent is specific in having an individual's hands unencumbered, by such devices as gloves and the like, when participating in an activity.

It is also common practice for people who wear long sleeve garments to store tissues, napkins, handkerchiefs or other loose items in their sleeves. Two inventors have addressed putting a concealed pouch in the sleeve of a garment for the purpose of retaining and concealing small personal valuables. J. Livingstone, U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,200 titled, “Garment Having Concealed Pouch,” and M. E. West, U.S. Pat. No. 2,134,425 titled, “Sleeve Pocket Structure.” The Livingstone patent only allows for the pockets to be located in the cuff of the sleeve located along the stitching line, as opposed to elsewhere on the sleeve. The West patent allows for a pocket on the sleeve but only where the entrance of the pocket is located along the seam of the sleeve panel, as opposed to on the sleeve panel itself. Neither the Livingstone patent nor the West patent accommodate the use of the pockets for warming of hands.

Tethered gloves attached to jackets are well known, such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,240. No provision is made in this device to conveniently store the glove in a pocket along the forearm of the jacket.

It is also known to store mittens in a pocket of a jacket with the cuff of the mitten securely attached to the sleeve of the jacket, such as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,214,771. This device requires that the mitten be thrust upwardly into the pocket in an inverted position, requiring a difficult step to stow or retrieve the mitten for use.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,758 provides hand warming pockets in the jacket sleeves, but does not provide means to retract gloves into the pockets.

Other inventors have created several types of alternative pockets suitable for transporting loose items. These patents include R. R. Tonkens, U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,091 titled, “Garment Tissue Dispenser and Method,” R. T. French, U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,545 titled, “Pouch for Holding and Dispensing Facial Tissues,” and R. D. Woodson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,791 titled, “Sock Having Knitted Carry-All Compartment and Method of Making Thereof.” However, these inventions, as well as the Outlaw garment, do not accommodate the practice of storing loose items in sleeves.

Overall, none of the prior art patents listed above offer the new and novel features of the subject invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an outerwear garment, such as a jacket, having sleeves where at least one sleeve includes a closeable pocket, a retractable tether, and a hand covering, such as a glove, glove liner, or mitten. One end of the retractable tether, such as a shock cord or bungee cord, is attached to the hand covering. The other end of the retractable tether is attached to the closeable pocket. The hand covering fits inside the closeable pocket when the hand covering is not needed by a user. In this way, a user can have access to the hand covering when needed, but the hand covering can be readily tucked away inside the closeable pocket without the chance of being lost or misplaced.

According to one form on the invention, the closeable pocket is an interior pocket that may be closed via a zipper, snaps, hook and loop fasteners, or other traditional fastening means. The small interior pocket includes a small opening near a distal end of the sleeve to allow the retractable tether, to extend and retract through.

In another embodiment of the invention, the retractable tether may be attached to the hand covering via a detachable fastener, such as a snap. Likewise, the other end of the retractable tether may be attached to an interior of the pocket via a detachable fastener such as a snap.

The closable pocket may be positioned longitudinally of the sleeve near a distal end of the sleeve, e.g., a jacket cuff.

In use, a user can unzip, or otherwise open, the pocket to access the hand covering. The retractable tether and hand covering can either extend outside the pocket and sleeve structure through the zipper/closure or through a small opening, such as one positioned near the distal end of the sleeve (e.g., jacket cuff). The hand covering is easily accessed by the user.

When the hand covering is no longer needed, the user takes the hand covering off and the retractable cord retracts the hand covering back toward the pocket. The hand covering is inserted in the pocket and can be zipped or otherwise closed. The pocket may be used to store other things, like tissue and change.

These and other advantages will become more apparent upon review of the Drawings, the Detailed Description of the Invention, and the Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Like reference numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a jacket having this invention incorporated in the sleeves thereof;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one sleeve having the glove extended from the sleeve and in operative position on the hand of the user;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one embodiment of this invention showing the glove with tether extended from the interior access opening of the sleeve;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view showing attachment of the tether to the glove, with the glove and tether extended from the cuff of the jacket;

FIG. 5. is a perspective view of one sleeve of the jacket showing the stowed position of the glove within the sleeve; and

FIG. 6. is a perspective view of another embodiment of this invention showing the glove with tether extended outside the sleeve, the sleeve having an exterior access for extension and retrieval of the glove into and out of the pocket in the sleeve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A new structure and method for providing accessible hand covering 12 (e.g., gloves, glove liners, or mittens) incorporated into a sleeve structure 14 of an outerwear garment (e.g., jacket) 10 is shown in FIGS. 1-6. During the peak of the day, the weather may be quite pleasant; however, when the sun goes down, the weather may drastically change and with retractable glove liners or mittens a user will be able to conveniently protect his or her hands from the cold weather elements. For anyone who participates in outdoor activities where large temperature variations may occur, having a means for retaining glove liners, gloves, or mittens to a jacket will protect a user's hands from inclement weather.

The hand covering 12 is retractably-tethered to a closeable pocket 16 formed within the sleeve structure 14 having a proximal end and a distal end. According to one embodiment of the invention, pocket 16 is an interior pocket formed within the sleeve structure 14. The pocket is of a size and shape to allow the hand covering to fit within the pocket. According to one aspect of the invention, the pocket is of a size and shape to allow the hand covering to be fully extended such that when the hand covering is inserted into the pocket it may be stored with minimal extra bulk to the sleeve.

The hand covering is tethered to the pocket 16 by a retractable tether 18, such as a shock cord (e.g., bungee cord). The tether 18 may be fed through a small opening 20 at or near the distal end of the sleeve such as cuff 22 or through the opening of pocket 16. In this way, the retractably-tethered hand coverings are near a user's hands for ready use.

The tether 18 may be detachable from closeable pocket 16 or hand covering 12, or both. Detachment means may be snaps, hooks, buttons, toggles, clips, or other well known attachment fasteners. In one form of the invention, the detachment means are a pair of leather snaps 24, 26 (snap attachment from tether to hand covering, snap attachment from tether to pocket, respectively). In this way, the hand covering can be removed for cleaning or to be used alone or with other outerwear garments.

Similar to a jacket with a hood that is in a zipped compartment, where the closure of the pocket may be made via a zipper 28, as illustrated in FIG. 1-3, 5-6, or by snaps or hook and loop fasteners. The zippered pocket, or otherwise closable pocket, may be placed longitudinally of the sleeve structure 14 near the wrist/cuff area of the sleeve. The tether may pass through the zipper opening or small opening 20, where a user may quickly put on the hand covering when circumstances warrant the user wearing a hand covering. Otherwise, the user may tuck away the hand covering into the pocket so that the hand covering is retained with the jacket/outerwear garment. The pocket may also be used to store small items, such as a tissue, ID, or change.

In use the hand covering is fed outwardly through the small opening 20 at the wrist to allow one to use the attached hand covering for added warmth. The retractable tether 18 (e.g., shock cord/bungee cord) retract after the user takes off the hand covering to retract the hand covering back into the zipped pocket 16.

The access to the pocket 16 may be positioned on the exterior of the jacket sleeve, (not illustrated), or may be positioned on the interior of the sleeve, as best seen in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show an exteriorly located access, which may also be small opening 20, into the pocket 16, which may be opened and closed by a zipper, snaps, or hook and pile fasteners (as illustrated), providing additional access into the interior of pocket 16.

The bungee snap placement in the formed pocket of the jacket is near the inner elbow and the other end of the bungee snap is placed at the wrist of the glove. The length of the bungee cord should be the stretched of the forearm plus the necessary length to pull the bungee cord down through the wrist and past the hand to allow an easy fitting of the glove. The formed pocket in the jacket securely retains the unworn glove.

This invention will warm and protect the hands of an individual in inclement weather, such as rain or snow, while he or she is engaged in a wide range of activities. The individual has the option of either extending the glove or mitten with tether into a location to cover his or her hands or retracting the tethered glove or mitten into pocket 16. This invention can be used by an individual engaged in outdoor activities, such as running, football, soccer, hunting, golf, or military activities. It can also be used by an individual engaged in indirect outdoor participation, such as a spectator, statistician, trainer, team physician, band member, reporter, photographer or cheerleader. Many of these indirect participants also benefit from hand warming for use of such items as a laptop computer, camera, musical instrument, cheerleading prop, or medical equipment.

For everyone, who may forget their gloves or mistakenly not think they will need gloves, a jacket with retractable gloves is ideal to protect your hands from the elements. The jacket 10 with hand covering/glove liners 12 will be great for skiing, hiking, biking, brisk runs or any active outdoor sport. Hand coverings such as lightweight retractable glove liners can be tucked away in the forearm of a jacket when not in use will add to usability of any jacket.

The illustrated embodiments are only examples of the present invention and, therefore, are non-limitive. It is to be understood that many changes in the particular structure, materials, and features of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is the Applicant's intention that her patent rights not be limited by the particular embodiments illustrated and described herein, but rather by the following claims interpreted according to accepted doctrines of claim interpretation, including the Doctrine of Equivalents and Reversal of Parts. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An outwear garment comprising: a body to conform to a human torso, said body include a pair of sleeves wherein each sleeve has a proximal end adjoined to the outerwear body and a distal end; at least one sleeve including an closeable pocket; said pocket being of a size and shape to enclose a hand covering; and a hand covering being connected to the closeable pocket by a retractable tether.
 2. The outerwear garment according to claim 1 wherein the tether is a shock cord.
 3. The outerwear garment according to claim 1 wherein the tether is detachable from the closeable pocket.
 4. The outerwear garment according to claim 1 wherein the tether is detachable from the hand covering.
 5. The outerwear garment according to claim 3 wherein the tether is further detachable from the hand covering.
 6. The outerwear garment according to claim 5 wherein the tether is detachable to the closeable pocket and hand covering via leather snaps.
 7. The outerwear garment according to claim 1 wherein the closeable pocket is an interior pocket positioned at the distal end of the sleeve.
 8. The outerwear garment according to claim 1 wherein the pocket includes a small opening configured to allow the retractable tether to pass through.
 9. The outerwear garment according to claim 7 wherein the tether is detachable from the closeable pocket.
 10. The outerwear garment according to claim 1 wherein the pocket is closeable via a zipper.
 11. The outerwear garment according to claim 1 wherein the pocket is closeable via snaps.
 12. The outerwear garment according to claim 1 wherein the pocket is closeable via hook and loop fasteners.
 13. The outerwear garment according to claim 1 wherein the pocket is located near the distal end of the sleeve.
 14. The outerwear garment according to claim 13 wherein the pocket is interior to the sleeve.
 15. The outerwear garment according to claim 1 wherein the zipper of the pocket is positioned longitudinally of the sleeve.
 16. An arrangement for retaining a hand covering to a jacket, said arrangement comprising: a jacket having a formed sleeve and a cuff; said sleeve including a zippered pocket being of a size for a hand covering; said zippered pocket being placed longitudinally on the sleeve; a bungee cord tethered to a glove and the jacket via a bungee cord; and said bungee cord detachable to the glove and jacket via leather snaps. 